Billy Joel's Movin' Out may not be the only familiar pop song featured at this year's Tony Awards telecast, as the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" becomes "Vampires in Love" in Jim Steinman's dawning Broadway musical, Dance of the Vampires.

Billy Joel's Movin' Out may not be the only familiar pop song featured at this year's Tony Awards telecast, as the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" becomes "Vampires in Love" in Jim Steinman's dawning Broadway musical, Dance of the Vampires.

Newcomer Mandy Gonzalez (as the female lead Sarah) will croon the tune — made popular by singer Bonnie Tyler — with the show's headliner Michael Crawford (as Count Von Krolock). Gonzalez was also in the workshop of the now defunct pop-fueled Drive All Night, which featured Bruce Springsteen songs. Previews for the darkly comic new musical begin Oct. 14 at the Minskoff Theatre.

Composer-lyricist Steinman — also known for Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell" — told explained the song's inclusion to Playbill On-Line: "That was an accident almost. I'm surprised it stayed in. [For the original production] in Vienna, I had only a month and a half to write this whole show and we needed a big love duet... I remembered I actually wrote ["Total Eclipse of the Heart"] to be a vampire love song. Its original title was 'Vampires in Love' because I was working on a musical of 'Nosferatu,' the other great vampire story. If anyone listens to the lyrics, they're really like vampire lines. It's all about the darkness, the power of darkness and love's place in dark. And so I figured 'Who's ever going to know; it's Vienna!' And then it was just hard to take it out."

When asked if he thought the popularity of the song would hinder its impact in the musical, Steinman responded, "Well, the reaction, at least in Europe, was great. They recognized it, but then it seems — if it's done well — to take on a different personality. I like that combination, even though it's usually the opposite — a song becomes a hit afterward. I just feel any connection between pop music and show music is a positive thing."

Dance of the Vampires begins previews Oct. 14 and opens Nov. 21 at Broadway's Minskoff. Tony Award winning John Rando (Urinetown) directs and John Carraffa (Urinetown, Into The Woods) choreographs the musical based on the Roman Polanski film "The Fearless Vampire Killers." Music and lyrics are by Steinman, book by Ives, Steinman and Michael Kunze (who is also credited with the original German book and lyrics).